Whisper 1000 & tilt-up tower being raised
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In most of the Northern hemisphere, where sun is
sparse in winter, the more battery charging sources an off-grid home
has, the better. Although "good" solar sites probably
outnumber "good" wind sites by 50 to 1, a viable wind site
can generate power at a much lower cost/Kwh than solar.
Wind and solar make extremely good complimentary sources because
in most locations wind is much more plentiful over the winter
months, and sun in the summer. Winter winds can generate ample power
when demand is highest and sunlight is sparse, reducing dependence
on a fossil-fueled generator. The sun can supply the bulk of
relatively low summer demand when the wind dies down.
This post-and-beam structure is located in Vermont, on a working
apple farm. It is set at the lower edge of an orchard, with the wind
tower placed at the upper edge. The home features radiant floor
& wood heat, a propane refrigerator, and other energy efficient
lighting and appliances typical of an off-grid home.
The array consists of 6 80-watt peak Solarex modules, wired at
24vdc for a total of 480W output. The array would probably be twice
this size if it were the only source of battery charging.
Instead it was merely sized for summertime sun conditions (reducing
the amount of modules required), since the Whisper 1000 wind
generator will produce significant power over the winter when the
array will not be able to "keep up" with demand.
AC power is created from the battery bank by a Xantrex DR3624
modified sine wave inverter, supplying all standard household loads.
The 120 vac output is stepped up to 240 vac through a
high-efficiency transformer to power a 1/2-hp, 240vac deep well
pump. |
